In previously known ladle-metallurgical units for heating and vacuum operation, it is customary to provide a special treatment stage for each of the treatments mentioned, in which the steel teeming ladle to be treated is brought into the respective treatment position by means of corresponding transport mechanisms (crane or shifting vehicle).
The treatment times attained in the heating and vacuum unit and the transport times between the melting vessel, which can consist of at least one converter unit or at least one electric arc furnace, including the metallurgical treatment units up to the teeming mechanisms, for example, a continuous teeming unit, do not make a continuous teeming operation possible. Barely more than 1-2 meltings can be cast in the so-called sequence teeming.
A longer sequence teeming of, for example, ten meltings, cast one after the other, is only possible if the melting and treatment times in the individual units, including the transport times, as well as necessary auxiliary process times, are shorter or equal to the teeming time of a steel teeming ladle in the continuous teeming unit.
In the case of single teeming or short sequences, the continuous teeming unit must be newly prepared for the next teeming after completion of a teeming. These preparation times can amount up to thirty or more minutes and reduce productivity or hourly capacity of the entire steel plant due to these conditional downtimes in operation.